As part of our mission, Patient Advocate Foundation is committed to serve patients with chronic, life threatening and debilitating illness who encounter healthcare barriers. Natural disasters can significantly decrease a patient’s ability to access and afford needed care and treatment, and to help, we have gathered these additional resources and notices for patients in areas hit by a recent disaster.

William T. McGivney, Ph.D.

William T. McGivney, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) – an alliance of 20 of the world’s leading cancer centers. At the NCCN, Dr. McGivney is responsible for the development of NCCN strategies and programs aimed at improving the quality of cancer care available to patients in need. Such programs include the NCCN Oncology Practice Guidelines, the National Oncology Outcomes Database, the NCCN Specialty Oncology Network, the NCCN Oncology Research Program and the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium. Strategically, Dr. McGivney is responsible for the growth of NCCN’s influence in the oncology community and for assuring the development of partnerships with managed care companies and employers, the development of NCCN’s health information capabilities and the expansion of centralized research programs.

Prior to joining the NCCN in 1997, Dr. McGivney was the Director of the Division of Health Care Technology at the American Medical Association from 1982-1991. In 1991, Dr. McGivney joined Aetna Health Plans where he worked until 1997 as Vice President for Clinical and Coverage Policy. At Aetna, he directed several groups including technology assessment, clinical guidelines, national coverage policy, pharmacy policy, Institutes of Excellence Transplant Network, National Cardiac Care Network, national appeals, etc. In 1991, in collaboration with Grace Powers Monaco, he established the first formal independent outside review process. This process was used as the model for the passage of the Knowles-Friedman Act in California in 1996, the first of many states to mandate that health plans offer an outside review option.

Dr. McGivney, a recognized expert in coverage policy and in drug and device regulatory policy, was awarded the FDA Commissioner’s Medal of Appreciation in 1989. He has served on numerous national boards and committees including the UNOS Board of Directors, the Board of the Patient Advocate Foundation and the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee. Presently, he serves as President, Board of Directors, of the Patient Advocate Foundation. He earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College, his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School.